


Sideline Stories: Starry Night (Mia)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [24]
Category: Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Christmas, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:57:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: Mia leaves the Landsdown's Christmas party early in order to visit her girlfriend, Lauren. During the holidays was when the Shiba's needed people the most.





	Sideline Stories: Starry Night (Mia)

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! Today is Day 11 of my 12 Days of Christmas fics and you better believe that Lauren/Mia were going to get a story. <3
> 
> Hope you all enjoy and hope you have a wonderful holiday!

As one of the more affluent members of Angel Grove, the Watanabe’s were invited to the Landsdown’s Christmas party. An over the top lavish event, as expected. Mia of course understood what it meant to wine and dine with AG’s finest. If she wanted to have  _ any _ future in the law field, she would have to work on schmoozing and keeping connections strong. Her father of course got her involved in the sport of golf at an early age. Mr. Watanabe wanted both Mia and her younger brother, Terry, to be able to handle themselves on the course and make a fine impression. Terry wanted to become a  _ musician _ not a  _ doctor _ so, he absolutely hated the idea of sports and was having a  _ lovely _ time at this so called party.

“Where are all the cool kids?” He grumbled, finding it odd that only adults were out and about. 

“Clearly somewhere you’re not invited” Mia chuckled, his band wasn’t quite a hit just yet among their peers. The fifteen year old boy looked absolutely bored, he’d rather be eating styrofoam or hit his head against a wall until he was allowed to leave. 

“Can we sneak out?” He asked, pleading with his big brown eyes, “You and our parents drove separately” 

_ “I  _ can sneak out” Mia corrected, pointing her finger in his face just hovering above his nose, “Because I’m the favorite, dad’s still mad at you for staying out all night”

Terry sighed, adjusting his tie, he felt like he was suffocating in the damn thing. He hated formal wear, and he hated even more that his  _ sister _ looked better in a suit. “I miss the days where  _ I  _ was the favorite”

“I don’t” Mia most certainly did not miss the days where her parents didn’t accept her relationship with Lauren to be anything other than platonic. Her father would insist that the two were only friends...there was a time where he missed the days where his daughter had been dating  _ Jayden _ Shiba. No, having a girlfriend they could forgive after awhile...Mia was still on a proper career path. Terry? Well. He was starting to live up to be the family disappointment. Even their cousin Cameron who hung out with the stoners was treated more favorably. The president of the GSA lowered her voice, “Pretend you’re feeling sick in twenty minutes, and I’ll take you home”

“Yes!” Terry was about to pump his fist in the air, but his older sister saw it coming a mile away and gripped onto it hard. “Ow”

“Subtle much?” Mia shook her head, letting go once she deemed it was safe. 

“Can we pick up some  _ real _ food? On our way home?” He asked hopefully, he was  _ not _ a fan of the fancy hors d'oeuvres. He’d much rather sink his teeth into a big mac, “McDonalds is like...kinda on the way?”

“Mike is a bad influence.” Mia did  _ not _ want her car to smell like a french fry, “Now  _ mingle”  _ She shoved his chest playfully before deciding to start walking around. Mia didn’t want to appear to be antisocial, or one to always stick around her family. It didn’t send out the best impression. Mia was bold enough to come to an Angel Grove function wearing a suit, she wasn’t going to waste strutting her stuff in it. 

She turned a corner and practically walked into one person she  _ didn’t _ want to interact with. Nick Russell of Briarwood, the Mayor’s son. Ugh. Mia pulled her lips into a tight smile, “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there”

Nick’s eyes weren’t focused, he clearly was on  _ something _ to get him through the night. Another reason why Mia didn’t want her younger brother anywhere near some of these rich kids. She didn’t need him to get into anything illegal, or  _ stupid _ for that matter. Nick was quick to put two and two together, licking his lips before speaking, “You ever miss it?”

“Miss what?” Mia asked, humoring him with a conversational question back. With his sloppiness and tone, it was best to be on high alert. She had too much experience with  _ this. _ Unfortunately. 

“Y’know” His hand reached down to grab between his legs, much like an ape. It was very charming, it was clear why he didn’t have a girlfriend. “The real thing”

“My  _ girlfriend _ is more than satisfactory” Her eyes narrowed, keeping her voice calm and quiet. The  _ last _ thing she wanted was this conversation to be overheard by one of the adults. It was all inappropriate to say the least. 

He leaned forward to speak softly in her ear, “If you’re tired of using  _ toys,  _ give me a call?”

“Ugh” Vile. Disgusting. What a pig. Mia did  _ not _ have to put up with this, nor was she going to. If she were anywhere else she would have used one of the many moves her girlfriend had taught her to put him in his place. It would cause too much of a scene, and with him being the  _ Mayor's _ son, it wasn’t a wise choice to physically harm him. Instead she shoulder checked him and walked by, putting as much distance between herself and him as possible. As if Mia Watanabe would ever give him a second thought.

"Hey, you clean up nice" Summer Landsdown saw it all happened and quickly moved to do some damage control by trying to ease into this with a compliment to the suit Mia elected to wear as her formal attire. "No Lauren?" 

Mia ran her hand along the length of her black tie, "No, I thought I'd spare her the social event" She laughed lightly, seemingly unphased by whatever just occurred with Nick, "These sorts of parties overwhelm her" Lauren didn’t like being around the people who were so close to her parents. Situations like these made her uncomfortable, real fast. 

"She's missing out…..Hey, was that guy bothering you?" She stretched her neck to look in the direction where she last spotted her ex-boyfriend only to find that he wasn't there. Mia trusted that Summer Landsdown would give him a piece of her mind.

"You know how Briarwood gets" The GSA president shook her head, trying not to let it bother her, "Just a proposition from "that guy"." Summer tilted her head so Mia continued to explain to the shorter girl, "Why play with toys when you can have the real thing?" An irritated Mia rolled her eyes, "As if I haven't heard that before" Being the first out bisexual girl at Angel Grove high led to a lot of... _ fun _ comments along with a reputation for being a slut.

"Ugh" Summer’s mood quickly matched Mia’s, the heiress was disgusted and embarrassed, "I am so sorry." Mia waved it off, with a toss of her hand, she was all too used to it. "I'll talk to him...Do you need anything? Something to drink?" She was all too ready to flag down the wait staff.

"No it's totally okay, thank you though. I'm going to be honest, I'll probably only stay for about twenty more minutes. My parents and I drove separate" She made an appearance for the sake of the Watanabe's and now she could get out of here.

"Mm alright then" Summer smirked, "Tell Lauren I say hi" She punctuated with a wink. With Mia dressed to the nines it’d be a waste not to show up at the Shiba’s place.

Mia laughed, totally and completely busted, "I'll give her your regards" With a fancy party like this, it was pretty easy to poke fun at the tone and how people talked. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your night"

The eldest Watanabe child was done with this party, she didn’t want to be spending her Christmas Eve with her  _ parents  _ friends. Not when she could be with the person who mattered most in her life. Lauren. Her girlfriend took holidays the hardest after all. After all of this time knowing and befriending people like the Shiba's, like Emily, she couldn't wrap her head around the trauma they faced for losing family members before their time. Lauren and Jayden lost their parents in  _ one night,  _ without a chance to really say goodbye to them. A fact that haunted the brother sister combo, something that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Mia couldn't stay here. Not anymore, she stayed the appropriate amount of time for a guest appearance. She was quick to grab her younger brother and say her formal goodbyes. A good older sister would drop her brother off at home before heading to the Shibas. Her parents may be strict, they may keep their kids on a tight leash, but the Shiba's used to be clients of theirs...they gave Mia the free pass to sleep over at her girlfriend's house that evening.

No one should wake up on Christmas day and feel alone.

Unfortunately for Terry, the local McDonald's was closed for the evening, he would have to settle for making a grotesque hot pocket, or some pizza rolls. Mia didn't really care how he would fend for himself, just that he was also out of her hair for the evening. She was prepared for the evening, packing up her customized pink duffle bag with Lauren's gift as well as a change of clothes for the morning. She didn't bother to change out of her formal attire, no, she thought Lauren could use an extra gift for the evening. Mia knew she looked  _ damn _ good in this outfit. Gender norms could screw themselves. The GSA president was all about pushing boundaries one way or another for freedom of expression.

When Mia arrived at the Shiba place, she felt a calm wash over her. It was so quiet here compared to the Landsdown's bustling party. Ever since freshman year, Mia felt like this place grew into a second home. She could escape her when her life was becoming too stressful, one of the many side effects from taking on too many responsibilities and chairs in clubs. Maybe it was the way Mentor Ji would keep the place decorated, but she could always feel at peace here as did the others in the GSA when they were lost. Emily could watch the kois for hours if anyone let her, Mike and Kevin would take part in kendo sparring with Antonio and Jayden, and Lauren could normally be found reading a book under the shelter of the trees. Even around her closest friends, Lauren found ways to keep to herself. 

A knock on the door, followed by Mia impatiently ringing the doorbell and Antonio was the one to open the barrier between Mia and entering the Shiba house. The normally talkative Antonio silently gave Mia the up down, his lips turned up in a smile. "It's a shame  _ we _ never hooked up" It wasn't a secret that Mia wasn't very fond of being around Antonio alone. There was too much history. Too much bad blood between them. Whenever the GSA were in groups, Mia and Antonio often distanced themselves from one another. Did they love one another? Sure. Mia would do anything for the boy, and he would fight like hell for her. Their relationship was complicated to say the least, just one of  _ many _ tangled strings of friendship in the GSA's web.

"You and I both know that would never work out" Mia narrowed her eyes, after dealing with Nick Russell she did  _ not _ want to be on the end of Antonio's flirting. This was Christmas Eve after all. Not a time to reflect on his misdeeds of his past, or all of the times he hurt her...let Jayden down. 

"S'true, you're wound too tight" He laughed, despite that he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her in a hug. For Antonio, the only family he really  _ had _ were the members of the GSA. "Merry Christmas" No fake smiles, or flirtation behind his words, he genuinely needed people just as much as the Shiba's did. Jayden and Lauren's parents didn't  _ choose _ to leave them...Antonio's parents were all too quick to kick him out. "Jayden and Lauren are ah...I'll take you to them"

Antonio was nice enough to grab Mia's bag so she wouldn't have to carry it, and set it behind the Shiba's couch. He led her through dimly lit hallways and out to the backyard where Lauren and Jayden were sitting around a fire. Mia took a moment to take in the sight, the Shiba's didn't have Christmas lights hung up, but in its place the orphaned siblings lit every single lantern to illuminate the pathway around the yard. Jayden and Lauren had created a bonfire, neither Shiba saying a word to one another, just simply staring into the flames. 

"They've been like that for at least an hour" Antonio commented softly. Mia took note that both Lauren and Jayen were wearing Anaheim Angels jerseys, customized with their last names and number one and two respectively. Mia knew the story, when they were younger their father had given them jersey's to wear to the games...jerseys they had grown out of. In their father's honor they bought new ones for themselves to wear during occasions like this. The holidays,  _ father's day _ . The blatant days where it was noticeable that they didn't have parents. 

"...Should I...?" Mia suddenly felt like she was intruding on a private moment. Clearly they were deep into their own minds, reflecting on Christmas pasts, days they could never recreate. 

"I will" Antonio would step on that landmine for her, he cleared his throat and spoke up to grab the Shiba siblings attention, "Mia's here" That wasn't  _ quite _ as delicate as she'd like, but it got the job done.

"...Hey..." Jayden mumbled, trying his best to smile in greeting. Mia could see the water building up in his eyes in the light of the flame. "Glad you could make it" His jaw clenched, he hadn't spoken in an hour and he was doing his best to stay strong. Lauren and Jayden both were champions at holding their emotions on the inside.    
  
"Kevin couldn't" Antonio whispered, mostly to prevent Mia from asking where Jayden's boyfriend was this night and why she hadn't seen him.    
  
Mia walked over to her ex-boyfriend, kissing the top of his head and doing her best she could to hug him while he sat. "Merry Christmas" She kept her voice soft, as if at a funeral, out of respect.   
  
Lauren had stood by the time Mia had made her way over to her. The blonde didn't say a word she simply enveloped her girlfriend in a hug, keeping her tight as if she would disappear out of her life as well if she let go. Mia rubbed her back, fighting the urge to cry herself out of sympathy. She could feel Jayden and Antonio's eyes on them. "I'm right here" She murmured, to which Lauren silently nodded..    
  
The world had dealt the Shiba's such a crappy hand. Mia pressed a kiss to the top of her girlfriend's head, her hand tracing the number one on her back. "I'm right here" She repeated. She had no plans on going anywhere, not tonight, not anytime soon. Mia wasn't going to leave Lauren like so many others in her past. Everyone knew once graduation hit...the Shiba siblings would likely go their separate ways. Jayden had plans of leaving as far away from Angel Grove as he could. A true fresh start. While Lauren...well, she was still a lost soul trying to find her way, softball would  _ always _ be a part of her destiny. In her blood.

"Let's go inside" Lauren finally spoke, her hands trailed down Mia's arms, lightly grasping her hands; squeezing them in confirmation that her girlfriend was truly here. "..Jayden?"

Jayden sat back in his chair, nodding his head, giving silent permission that she could leave as well as a confirmation that he would be okay. Antonio would slide into Lauren's seat and keep the Shiba boy company in her absence. Mentor Ji would be out any moment to serve up some holiday hot chocolate, complete with candy canes. The boys would be just  _ fine.  _

Lauren led Mia back into the house. Mentor Ji caught them on the way, with a wide smile and a tray of mugs for the young men outside. He welcomed his guest, and went on his way. This poor man lost both of his best friends in a single day and saddled with an impossible task to raise two troubled depressed ten year olds. He had to love them as if they were his  _ own... _ graduation was going to be the hardest on him. Though, he was too stoic to ever  _ show _ or admit that fact out loud. He'd even miss Antonio, the wayward kid who needed a place to shelter him at his lowest time. The house would be ever so quiet without them. He needed this holiday just as much as the kids did, if not more.

When the couple entered Lauren's room, the blonde sat on the bed, keeping her hands held in Mia's. It was only in the light where she could truly register  _ what _ Mia was wearing. Oh. Lauren's eyes raked over her girlfriend's form, "Wow..." She blinked, "You look" Her breath hitched, trying to find the right word. Drop dead sexy, hot, total pantry dropper? That all seemed too crude, but all too applicable. "Wow"

Mia took Lauren bumbling for words as the highest of compliments, after dating for almost two years now and she can still render the blonde speechless. She stepped forward to stand between her legs, her hands finding place on Lauren's cheeks, Mia closed the distance between them by capturing her lips. 

Lauren pulled back after a moment, a rare smirk on her face, her left eyebrow quirking in intrigue, "Is this apart of my Christmas present?" She asked, for having gone through so much she was  _ still _ a teenager at heart...one who was  _ very  _ interested in her girlfriend in a suit.

"Only if you're good" Mia teased with a smile, cocking her head to the side, ha. She knew this was the right move for her flannel wearing, softball captain of a girlfriend, "I actually have your Christmas present here if you want to open it early"

"That sounds like a trap" Lauren was all too suspicious, it didn't stop her from trying to undo the bottom buttons of Mia's white dress shirt. 

Mia playfully swatted her girlfriend's hand out of the way, "Not  _ me" _ Most certainly not while everyone was having a somber moment outside.  _ That _ felt beyond wrong. Mia then took a step back to rummage through her dufflebag. She found what she was looking for quickly, a flat square present wrapped in a red wrapping paper and a gold string. Mia was about to offer her gift to Lauren but then hesitated, pulling it back to hold against her chest.    
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"Actually, I think it's probably best if you open this one with Jayden"    
  
Lauren squinted, Lauren Mia and Jayden would always have a weird sort of relationship due to Jayden and Mia's past as a couple. Still, even though they couldn't work out, Mia loved Jayden...though now he felt more like a brother to her. A brother figure who she used to sleep with. Life worked it's way out in the weirdest possible ways. Lauren looked passed her girlfriend's shoulder to see that Jayden was standing at the doorway, holding two mugs of hot chocolate in his hand. Lauren's favorite lion one, and a pink one that he had bought during the times where he dated Mia in the other. Over the years it was deemed as Mia's mug and her mug only. "You have impeccable timing"    
  
"Ji didn't make enough for everyone so I thought..." Jayden averted his eyes, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Mia came to the Shiba house wearing a suit, it was a miracle she still had clothes on in Lauren's bedroom. "I made sure to put dark chocolate in yours"   
  
"Mmm you remembered" Mia smiled, stepping forward to take Lauren's cup, handing it off before taking the other one in her free hand. "You're actually just in time for a Christmas gift"   
  
"Christmas is tomorrow" Jayden folded his arms, always more of a stickler for the rules.   
  
"Trust me, this is way better timing to open it" She handed the gift to Lauren so she could walk it over to her brother's side. "Please, this is my gift to you"

“You want to open it together?” Lauren asked, looking to her brother, waiting for him to nod his head before they started to open up their gift. 

Jayden and Lauren both did their best to carefully unwrap the present, revealing an official document inside a frame. While Jayden and Lauren were reading the fine print, Mia explained softly. The Shiba siblings were so stoic that it was hard to gauge whether or not they actually understood or liked what she had done for them. "I found a place where you could name a star and put it in the celestial registry...I named one Shiba...after your parents and-"   
  
"I love it" Lauren said in an instant, cutting Mia from her rambling doubts. Jayden gripped onto the frame tighter so his sister could embrace her girlfriend. Expressing how much she was moved by the gesture with a kiss. "...I love you"   
  
Jayden still was staring at the words, running his hand along the glass at their family name. "Thank you Mia" He wasn't very good at showing his emotions, but the girls weren't blind. They could see it in his eyes, "...This is really special" He reached forward to give Mia a gentle shoulder squeeze, “...Thank you”

He waited another moment, giving Lauren and Mia a chance to embrace before speaking up, “I want to see who could find it first”

Lauren’s eyes lit up at a chance to compete with her brother, softball season would be starting soon and with it, it meant that she would be spending less and less time with the younger Shiba sibling. “I’ll race you”

That was all it took to leave Mia in the dust. As if they were ten, the two newly adults bolted from the room to go outside and look carefully at the sky. Mia took her good old time, taking a sip out of her chocolate as she watched them return to a more innocent time. Antonio stood at her side, drinking out of a gold and navy mug himself. Neither said it, but Jayden and Lauren didn’t appear that  _ happy _ in the longest time. The two acted like ten year olds, jersey and all, pointing at the sky and trying to pinpoint  _ which _ stars was  _ theirs.  _

“You did good Watanabe” Antonio commented, a small smile on his face as he watched Jayden figure out the pieces. When it came to competitions between brother and sister...Jayden didn’t win  _ many. _

Mia was proud of herself for bringing Lauren and Jayden this moment together. Jayden draped his arm around Lauren’s shoulders as the two stared off into the sky, lost in their own silent world again.

“No matter where they are, or where life takes them...they can look up...and know that they won’t be alone.” Mia knew that saying goodbye to Jayden come fall semester would be one of the hardest things Lauren would have to do in her life. Even Mentor Ji would have a small piece of the family he had grown so fond of.

“Hm…” Antonio sighed, “All I bought Jayden was a fishing pole” He glanced over to Mia, “Our dads would always take us out during the summer” Antonio  _ loved _ to fish, fish was a huge part of his upbringing and what he aspired to do for his future. “What you got was way better”

“He’ll love it” Mia nudged the boys arm with her elbow, “That means a lot to you” The two boys were  _ always _ close, even  _ after _ Antonio broke Jayden’s heart. 

The shorter boy took a sip of his hot chocolate, chuckling lightly to himself, “He’ll hate it” Jayden and Lauren were  _ far _ from water people. Put them on land and in front of a fire and they’ll be happy. 

“Merry Christmas guys!” A new voice startled everyone from their calm quiet Christmas Eve. Standing at the gateway of the backyard, Kevin Barron stood, complete with a blue santa hat and a gift in hand. “I was able to get out of breakfast tomorrow so…” He blinked upon seeing Mia turn in his direction, “Woo, you clean up nice”

“C’mere I want to show you something” Jayden’s mood instantly picked up the moment he heard Kevin’s voice. He was convinced that he wouldn’t have a chance to see his boyfriend until after the holidays. Jayden grabbed Kevin by the hand and pulled him into the yard, pointing up to the sky as he wanted to share that  _ he _ found the Shiba Star  _ first.  _

Antonio’s head dropped, looking down to his feet, as opposed to Jayden he  _ wasn’t _ excited to see the swimmer arrive. Mia knew  _ why _ Antonio was downtrodden, that he’d rather have Jayden to himself for the holiday...it was a bit selfish, but the truth was...he loved Jayden as much as she loved Lauren. The Shiba Siblings had a hold on the hearts around him.

Lauren greeted Kevin with a welcoming hug before giving the two boys their privacy to say their hellos. She came up from behind Mia and wrapped her arms around her waist, her chin resting on her shoulder. “Hey” Dork.

“Hey yourself” Mia relaxed into Lauren’s arms, Antonio quietly excused himself and went back inside the house “I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier” Lauren used to live that life, the life of Angel Grove’s rich, the family even had a place at the country club if they so ever desired to go. “You know how it could be”

“I’m happy you’re here now” Lauren turned her head to kiss Mia’s cheek, “...Thank you so much again”

“I wanted this year to be special for you” 

Lauren shook her head, “Every  _ day _ is special for me...because I have you” She sighed, looking up into the sky, Mia could tell that she was already getting lost in her own head. 

“I love you” She spoke softly, Jayden and Kevin were too busy talking about the star and checking out maps to hear them. 

“...I love you too…Merry Christmas Mia...”

Mia turned just enough to kiss Lauren’s lips, “Merry Christmas my love”


End file.
